Croatian Veterans Plan Protest as UN Court Renders Final Verdict

Nov. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Thousands of Croatian veterans plan
to gather on Zagreb’s main square tomorrow, when a United
Nations court announces its final ruling on an appeal by two
generals convicted of atrocities against Serbs in 1995.

The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the
former Yugoslavia will say whether it rejected 2011 appeals by
Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, who were convicted in
April 2011 of the murder and persecution of Serbs in the 1995
Operation Storm, which ended the war following Croatia’s 1991
independence from Yugoslavia. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years
in jail and Markac to 18 years.

“The verdict will be a judgment not only on the generals,
but on all the veterans and also on the Croatian state,” said
Josip Klemm, head of a special police veterans association, in a
phone interview. “Whatever the verdict, we will face it with
dignity.”

The case closes as the former Yugoslav republic prepares to
join the European Union and struggles to recover after three
years of recession or stagnation. Croatia, which is set to join
the bloc in July, has cooperated with the extradition of the
generals to The Hague and supports their defense teams in
claiming the generals couldn’t prevent the troops from
committing crimes.

In Operation Storm, the Croatian army reclaimed swaths of
land held by rebel Serbs, who since 1991 opposed Croatia’s drive
to break away from the former Yugoslavia. While most Serbs fled
the approaching Croat forces, murders and lootings were reported
after the Croatian army took over.

Membership Talks

Thousands of Serbs in recent years have returned as their
reintegration was a key element for Croatia to conclude EU
membership talks.

For many Croats, the generals symbolize the country’s
independence and the beginning of the operation is celebrated as
a public holiday called Victory Day. Prime Minister Zoran
Milanovic has repeatedly said that Gotovina is “paying someone
else’s debt.”

In its 2011 verdict, the court said that Gotovina was part
of a “joint criminal enterprise,” along with former President
Franjo Tudjman, Defense Minister Gojko Susak and Army Chief of
Staff Janko Bobetko, all three of whom are now dead.

Veterans will begin to gather tonight on main squares
throughout the country, Klemm said. Tens of thousands are
expected in Zagreb’s main square, Trg bana Jelacica, after a
wake in the cathedral, he said.

“The court is not likely to let the generals go, but could
reduce the original sentences,” said Jelena Lovric, a chief
political analyst at Europa Press Holding, the country’s largest
newspaper publisher. “Crimes were committed, and whatever the
verdict, it’s unlikely it will make Croats face their past.”